It is reasonable to worry about what happens if Google runs out of steam before its next cash cow appears. What will Google do with all the "free" products it offers and what will the pricing for out-of-print books become? How about the privacy of Google users, in this case ?

What will Google do with all the things it knows about us if it needs to make some quick money? What is it already doing what we may not be aware of? Would we be happy with the results of a business practices audit at Google?

My guess is Google is not a major "offender" today, but there is reason for concern in the future should Google's star dim.

Back to books, this deal could allow Google to continue its massive book scan-a-thon for decades. While I like what Google wants to achieve--in content if not necessarily business terms--I remain concerned.

The issues are complex enough that it is hard to know where readers should side. Sometimes there really are issues that may be best left to the courts and Google Books may be one of them. We'll be watching Oct. 7 and see what happens.